Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), an important food crop in the world, is susceptible to many fungal pathogens including Alternaria solani and Fusarium oxysporum causing Fusarium wilt and early blight diseases. Mycoparasitic fungi like Trichoderma encode chitinases, cell wall degrading enzymes, with high antifungal activity against a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi. In this study, a binary vector harboring endochitinase gene of ~1,000 bp was constructed and used to transform potato nodes through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Out of several primary transformants, two transgenic potato lines were verified for transgene insertion and integration by Southern blot. In a pot experiment for Fusarium resistance, the transgenic potato lines didn’t show any symptoms of disease, instead they remained healthy post infection. The transgenic potato lines exhibited 1.5 fold higher mRNA expression of endochitinase at 7 days as compared to 0 day post fungus inoculation. It was evident that the mRNA expression decreased over days of inoculation but was still higher than at 0 day and remained stable upto 30 days post inoculation. Similarly, for A. solani infection assay, the mRNA expression of the endochitinase gene was 3 fold higher 7 days post inoculation compared to expression at 0 day. Although the expression decreased by1.2 fold during subsequent days post infection, it remained stable for 30 days, suggesting that protection in transgenic potato plants against fungal pathogens was achieved through an increase in endochitinase transcript.

The article presents the assumptions, characteristics and description of the implementation of a pilot system for on-line monitoring of partial discharges in heads of the high-voltage cable lines. The main purpose of the implementation was to increase the reliability of cable line heads by equipping them with a system of continuous assessment of technical condition with direct transmission of measurement data and alarms to the SCADA system. In order to achieve the assumed goal, unconventional methods for measuring partial discharges were used, the application of which does not require disconnecting the line from the voltage. The implementation was carried out on an active 110 kV high voltage cable line in the area of activity of one of the Distribution System Operators.

The paper deals with the structural variability and generative reproduction of Saxifraga oppositifolia populations in eight localities situated in Western Spitsbergen. The localities differed in terms of humidity, soil fertility, microclimate and frequency of disturbances. The population structure, the growth and development rate of individuals in the sea terrace and at the peat-bog prove that a dense plant cover influences positively the development of S. oppositifolia. The size of individuals, their biomass and population density is limited in most of the studied localities. Solifluction is the factor influencing the development of a population to the greatest extent. Of all the researched populations the weakest development was observed in the active structural grounds. Yearly changes in the structure of the populations as well as the yearly growth of the species studied are limited. The longevity, the development rate and size of the seedling recruitment are subject to modifications caused by the solifluction.

The aim of the research was the evaluation of wastewater management in terms of stability and efficiency of wastewater treatment, using statistical quality control. For this purpose, the analysis of the operation and operation of the “Kujawy” Sewage Treatment Plant was made, which is one of the most important and largest sewage management facilities in the city of Cracow. This assessment was done using control charts x for 59 observations. The analysed research period covered the multi-year from 2012 to 2016. Five key pollutant indicators were used to evaluate the work of the tested object: BOD5, CODCr, total suspension, total nitrogen and total phosphorus. In the case of the majority of them, based on the analysis of control charts, full stability of their removal was found in the tested sewage management facility. The exception was total nitrogen, for which periods of disturbed stability of its disposal processes were noted. Analysis of the effectiveness of wastewater treatment showed each time that the required efficiency of reduction of the analysed pollution indicators in the “Kujawy” Sewage Treatment Plant was achieved.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the combined effect of noise exposure and additional risk factors on permanent hearing threshold shift. Three additional risk factors were: exposure to organic solvents, smoking and elevated blood pressure.

The data on exposure and health status of employees were collected in 24 factories. The study group comprised of 3741 noise male exposed workers of: mean age 39±8 years, mean tenure 16±7 years and LEX,8h = 86 ± 5 dB. For each subject, hearing level was measured with pure tone audiometry, blood pressure and noise exposure were assessed from the records of local occupational health care and obligatory noise measurements performed by employers. Smoking and solvent exposure were assessed with questionnaire. The study group was divided into subgroups with respect to the considered risk factors. In the analysis, the distribution of hearing level of each subgroup was compared to the predicted one which the standard calculation method described in ISO 1999:1990. For each of the considered risk factors, the difference between measured and calculated hearing level distribution was used to establish, by the least square method, a noise dose related correction square function for the standard method. The considered risk factors: solvent exposure, smoking and elevated blood pressure combined with noise exposure, may increase degree of hearing loss.

Most studies on solenoid valves (SVs) assumed that the armature is concentrically positioned in the sleeve. Under this assumption the transversal component of the magnetic force is equal zero. The article presents an analytical calculation model for the estimation of the armature eccentricity. Using this model the eccentricity was calculated as a function of the sleeve thickness and the hydraulic clearance between the armature and the sleeve. After finding the eccentricity also the permeance of the radial air gap was calculated. This permeance has a direct influence on the drop of the magnetomotive force in the magnetic circuit and finally influences also the axial component of the magnetic force. In the article a calculation of both transversal and axial components of the magnetic force was carried out and presented in the appendix to the article.

Results of the studies for determining fractions of organic contaminants in a pretreated petrochemical wastewater flowing into a pilot Aerated Submerged Fixed-Bed Biofilm Reactor (ASFBBR) are presented and discussed. The method of chemical oxygen demand (COD) fractionation consisted of physical tests and biological assays. It was found that the main part of the total COD in the petrochemical, pretreated wastewater was soluble organic substance with average value of 57.6%. The fractions of particulate and colloidal organic matter were found to be 31.8% and 10.6%, respectively. About 40% of COD in the influent was determined as readily biodegradable COD. The inert fraction of the soluble organic matter in the petrochemical wastewater constituted about 60% of the influent colloidal and soluble COD. Determination of degree of hydrolysis (DH) of the colloidal fraction of COD was also included in the paper. The estimated value of DH was about 62%. Values of the assayed COD fractions were compared with the same parameters obtained for municipal wastewater by other authors.

Three methods of estimating radii of spray droplets are discussed and results of their practical application in the case of explosively produced water spray are reported. Parameters of model radii distributions are fitted using the least squares method. Finally, the data obtained for a number of tests are used for estimating fraction of explosion energy used for pulverization of water in the process of explosive production of water-spray.